This article explores the significance of sports sponsorships by small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Due to limited resources, and the high-intensity competition among sponsors for the recipient’s attention, SMEs have to look for alternative ways to exploit the potential of their sponsorships. With the help of an experimental research design, two studies examine the effects of integrating existing sporting rivalries between sports teams into the leveraging of sponsorships. Among both fans (study 1) and local residents (study 2), the reference to a sporting rivalry in sponsorship leveraging has positive effects on sponsorship-fit, attitudes towards sponsorship and brand attitudes towards the sponsor. Negative attitudes of rival fans on this type of sponsorship leveraging are mostly irrelevant for SME sponsors due to their limited market scope. This type of sponsorship leveraging offers SMEs the opportunity to differentiate themselves as sponsors in contrast to large enterprises with a supra regional, national or international sponsorship scope.
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